Jazz is one of the most diverse music genres and is often characterized by complex chords, polyrhythms and improvisation. It is music that everyone can enjoy, from the most ardent professionals to the casual listener, with brilliant improvisations, soulful melodies and a swinging beat.
Solos are an important part of jazz music, as they showcase the musicality and understanding of musical virtuosos, who take the listeners on a wild adventure of passion and melody, all in the spur of a moment. Authentic and emotive solos can bring a piece of music to life and live long in the listener’s ear.
How Jazz Solos Have Evolved Over the Years
When thinking about jazz solos, names such as Charlie Parker, Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and Louis Armstrong are just a few of the names that come to mind. Their legend and example, very much lives on today.
In the past decade alone, jazz has seen an explosive revolution of ideas, diversification and presentation. Streaming services and ease of access have brought jazz to a younger audience, and given a new lease of life to jazz.
Best Jazz Solos of the Past Decade
Jazz solos can be made using virtually any instrument, and skilled singers can also make vocal solos. Even a three-diatonic harmonica, which is only capable of playing single-note melodies and double stops over three octaves, can still produce soulful and mind-blowing solos.
Solo mastery in jazz does not require a tremendous range of notes, nor does it require lots of notes in a very quick procession. The following solos have defined the last decade in their exceptional musicality.
Ambrose Akinmusire – Origami Harvest (2018)
This album features powerful trumpet solos that draw on classical music, jazz and hip-hop influences. Akinmusire’s delivery and emotional depth shine through on what is a captivating jazz album, and his passionate trumpet solos feel timeless.
Origami Harvest has drawn praise from critics all over the world, and is some of Akinmusire’s most ambitious and adventurous work.
Mary Halvorson – Code Girl (2018)
Halvorson is an Avant-garde jazz composer and guitarist who combines a number of genres, such as flamenco, rock and psychedelia, in her works. Her 2018 album, Code Girl, was made with trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire and is a fantastic amalgamation of musical styles.
The album is packed with intriguing guitar solos, drawing a bridge between jazz and rock. Her passionate solos are mesmerizing. It is the perfect example of how guitars are still very much a part of jazz and how the popular rock instrument can still bring new elements to the ever-expanding world of jazz music.
Charles Lloyd – Mirror (2010)
A true jazz veteran who has been making music since the 1960s, Charles Lloyd, was inspired by Charlie Palker and Billie Holiday when he first picked up the saxophone. Mirror was released in 2010 and has an epic assortment of pieces with unique sax solos. Lloyd revisits a few old classics, deconstructing and reassembling his most famous works. The feelings of unrequited love, sunsets over the desert, and a voyage into spiritualism all come together collectively.
A mirror is very polished yet by no means mainstream or lacking that quirky improvisational vibe. It has a heavy atmosphere layered with brilliant harmonies.
Cecile McLorin Salvant – The Window (2018)
McClorin received Grammys for both of her previous albums and decided to go back to basics with The Window. The French American vocalist is known for singing French cabaret, mainstream pop songs, and American show tunes and delivers them with a unique deep soul and blues vocalization.
The Window is some of her most daring work to date. Though she is only accompanied by a piano, organ and tenor saxophone, McClorin creates sophisticated walls of sound, accompanied by quiet moments, frantically tying them with her vocal solos.
Vijay Iyer – Solo (2010)
Iyer has been blamed in the past for continuously re-interpreting history and not attempting to take his work forward. Still, Solo is a brash masterclass that explores all the different harmonic and rhythmic possibilities of the piano. Iyer plays original work and also brings old classics such as “Darn That Dream” to the forefront, deconstructing and reinventing them.
This album is a fantastic example of how solo jazz piano can be used to reinvent old classics.
Conclusion
The past decade has witnessed a renaissance of jazz, with such artists as Ambrose Akinmusire, Mary Halvorson, Charles Lloyd, Cecile McLorin Salvant, and Vijay Iyer redefining the genre with their innovative solos. It could be Akinmusire’s emotive trumpet work, the genre-bursting improvisations on guitar by Halvorson, or, for that matter, McLorin Salvant’s natural, soulful vocal expressions. Each one is unique and pushes the boundaries of how jazz can be defined in this new era.